A Texas mom is feeling lucky to be alive and grateful to finally hold her baby, after a truly terrifying attack nearly took both their lives earlier this month. Orelia Hollins was 8 months pregnant when she went to work the early shift at CVS in northern Dallas on November 2. She was forced to delivery early via emergency surgery after she was shot in a robbery gone wrong. Images of the mom holding her baby for the first time on Monday are going viral, as her terrifying birth story begins to make headlines.
Hollins, 29, was struck twice when a man walked into the CVS store in University Park, Texas, and opened fire.
Police were called shortly after 6:30 a.m., when witnesses say a man described as 6 feet tall with a raspy voice entered the store wearing “heavy, dark” winter clothing with a hood, according to the Dallas Morning News.
The gunman reportedly covered his face before walking up to the register and demanding money from Hollins. When she refused, he shot her twice before running away.
Paramedics immediately rushed Hollins to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery.
She was forced to deliver her baby boy a full month early, and the two have been recovering in the hospital ever since.
Although it's not clear where exactly Hollins was shot, Fox 26 reports that the mother and son still have a long road to recovery ahead, and doctors think they could both remain in the hospital for some time.
Still, both Hollins and her son have been improving, which is ultimately what allowed the mother to hold her infant for the very first time on Monday.
An image of the mother cradling her newborn was shared on a GoFundMe page created by relatives this week.
"She is also a mother of two other young children, and she is currently off work due to medical conditions," the page description explained. "We kindly ask that you please help in any way you can during this very difficult time to assist with personal and living expenses."
In just three days, the page has raised over $6,000 in donations to be put toward Hollins' medical expenses.
Though surveillance footage of the suspect has been released, police have yet to make any arrests nearly two weeks later.
"It's unthinkable. I've said before, it's evil," University Park Police Assistant Chief Jim Savage said of the incident, according to Fox 26.
On Monday, detectives who visited the mother at her hospital bed told the outlet that she is walking with assistance and her baby is "moving both arms and legs" and happily squirming around.
Police hope that by sharing the mother's story, as well as the surveillance footage, someone will come forward with information.
"I would surely like someone to recognize who this is and get the moral courage to call us and tell us who it is so we can track 'em down and put 'em in jail," Savage said.
